How Information Flows
Packets
For example, when you type an email and hit the send button, several things happen that you don’t see. Before any information travels in the digital world, it is converted into zeros and ones, or binary numbers. The information is then broken down into small bundles, or packets. Each packet must include a header with address information. A packet is like an envelope. The header is the address and the body of the message is the information being sent. This distinction between the header and the body of the message is important when you consider using pen register\/trap and trace devices or wiretaps. The several packets making up the email pass through routers, which are like a post office and traffic center. The router will determine which pathway is the fastest for each packet. The packets travel separately to the destination. When the packets arrive at the destination computer, they are reassembled, translated from the binary numbers into the message you sent, and are delivered to the addressee. All of this takes just seconds.
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